Their Colorado Conquest [Spirit, Colorado 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)
Page 16
When he didn’t say anything more, Ellie nodded her encouragement. “Go on,” she coaxed. “You must want me to know, otherwise you wouldn’t be here. Besides, I won’t let you go now, not until you tell me everything.”
Her father flashed a mirthless grin. “I didn’t want to believe what you told me, because it meant I was being a fool about Annabel. But I also knew how close you two used to be, so I figured you wouldn’t have turned against her lightly.”
“That’s certainly true,” Ellie agreed, remembering how stoutly she’d defended her against Josh’s accusations.
“Anyway, I decided to prove you wrong by showing you just how fair-minded she can be. So I asked my editor to run anything she wrote about Spirit past me before publication.” He expelled a long breath, suddenly looking bone weary, deep vertical lines engraved in his forehead. “I didn’t want to believe you were right, but it seems you were.”
Ellie reached across and took his hand. “Thanks, Dad. I know it can’t have been easy for you to make that admission. I felt the same way when Josh told me about Annabel and instinctively sprang to her defense.”
“Well, there’s no fool like an old fool.”
“You’re not old, Dad.” Ellie leaned forward and kissed his brow. “Well, not that old.”
“Hey, watch it!”
Ellie chuckled, glad to see some of his old spirit emerging. “How did Annabel take having the piece pulled?”
“She went ballistic.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. She never did take criticism well.”
“She called me every name under the sun, but I won’t offend your ears by repeating her words. Suffice it to say that our relationship is at an end and Annabel is no longer working for my organization.”
Ellie elevated her brows. “You fired her?”
“No, she walked out. She gave me an ultimatum, assuming, I suppose, that she still wielded power over me. I was to allow her free rein to write whatever she liked about Spirit, or she would quit.”
“Well done for not caving in,” Ellie said with immense satisfaction. “I know you have feelings for her.”
“Had,” her father said, his expression hardening. “People who love one another don’t resort to blackmail.” He paused. “This Josh Cooper must have meant a lot to her, given her obsession with bringing him down.”
“Be careful she doesn’t go after you the same way.”
“There’s nothing she can do to me.” Her father waved Ellie’s fears aside. “She won’t get another job on a decent media outlet in this district. I’ve already put the word out.”
So why do I still feel uneasy about her?
“Just remember, Ellie,” her father said, reaching for her hand, “that I’m here for you. Oh, I know you want to prove yourself without my help, and I admire that aspect of your character. You remind me of myself when I was your age. But if you need anything at all, you have but to say the word. I have more money than I could spend in two lifetimes. It will all be yours one day—”
“A long time from now, Dad, and I know I can rely on you. Will you come to the gala opening?” she asked on impulse. “It would mean a lot to me.”
“Of course. I’m always happy to—”
The door opened and Josh dashed in at his usual breakneck pace. “Oh, sorry, Ellie, I didn’t know you had company.”
“You’re just in time to meet my dad,” she said, smiling broadly as she made the introduction and watched the two men sizing one another up.
* * * *
Josh made a third attempt on his bow tie.
“Damned thing,” he cursed. “Why do they have to be so complicated?”
Rex laughed. “Be grateful that’s all you’ve got to worry about.”
“Yeah, I guess it all came together okay. If we can just get through this fucking gala thing tonight, then we’ll be up and running.” He shrugged into his white tuxedo jacket. “Why the hell did we let Ellie talk us into being auctioned off like sides of meat?”
“She’s been right about everything she’s suggested up until now.”
“True.” Josh grinned. “Imagine her dad coming through for her like that and getting Annabel out of our hair once and for all.”
“Tycoons like him don’t make it to the top by thinking with their pricks.”
“Even so.” Josh quit fiddling with his tie. Who cared if it refused to sit straight? “Ellie puzzles me. She’s been happy to play with us every night since we took her in the hot tub, but I still feel she’s holding out on us.”
Rex shrugged. “She’s just on edge about tonight. We all are.”
“I don’t like it that she doesn’t share absolutely everything with us, including her thoughts.”
“For what it’s worth, I think she feels responsible for what happened with Annabel and reckons you hold it against her.”
“What!” Josh glowered at his buddy. “That’s complete bullshit.”
Rex elevated a brow. “Is it?”
“Okay, I did hold it against her, for about thirty seconds. It wasn’t her fault.”
“Have you tried telling her that?”
Josh shook his head. “I had no idea she felt that way, otherwise I would have. Okay, I was mad at the time and didn’t like having to bare my soul in public, but we got past that. What’s more, Annabel’s history, thanks to her dad. Why would I be mad at her?”
Rex answered his question with one of his own. “What do you feel for her?”
“That she’s the woman I’ve been waiting for my entire life,” Josh said without a moment’s hesitation.
“Me, too,” Rex said. “Never met anyone like her before. I felt that way before we even had sex, which must mean something.”
“I hear you.”
“So what are we going to do to keep her here?”
“What do you mean, keep her here? She’s not going anywhere.”
“Her contract with us officially ends after tonight.”
“Yeah, but I just assumed—”
“I guess I did, too,” Rex admitted, shrugging into his own jacket. “The thing is, I heard her on the phone the other day seeking out new commissions, so she probably thinks we want to get rid of her.”
Josh spread his hands, completely taken aback. “How the hell could she think that after the things we’ve done together the last couple of weeks?”
“We’ve never actually told her how we feel, have we?”
“No, I suppose not. I just thought—”
“We need to set her straight immediately after the gala.”
“Amen to that,” Josh said with feeling, just as the door opened and Ellie glided in wearing a figure-hugging emerald-green sheath that caused both men to whistle their appreciation.
“Why thank you, gentlemen.”
Ellie smiled and gave them a twirl. The dress had a respectably high neckline but was slit on one side to reveal the entire expanse of one slim thigh each time she moved. Her hair was piled on top of her head and a thick velvet choker circled her neck. Josh grinned. He didn’t need to be told what it concealed. Ellie wore killer heels that showcased slim ankles and, Josh reckoned, sheer stockings. With or without a garter belt, though? He intended to check that aspect of her apparel out for himself before he was much older.
“I’m glad you approve. I couldn’t wear panties with this dress. They would have shown.”
Both men groaned.
“Going somewhere nice?” he quipped.
“I’m going somewhere with nice people,” she said, linking one arm with Josh, the other with Rex.
“One nice person,” Rex said, pointing a finger at his own chest. “I can’t speak for the other guy.”
“No one ever made a fortune by being nice,” Josh said grouchily.
“Your tie’s crooked.” Ellie grinned at Rex as she released her hands from both their arms and effortlessly straightened Josh’s tie. “That’s better,” she said, patting it into place, as though defying it to move. Josh glanced in th
e mirror and saw that it didn’t. How did women do that?
“Right then,” he said. “I guess it’s showtime.”
* * * *
Ellie glanced round the banqueting suite with satisfaction. Everything had gone as smooth as satin—no, silk, she corrected herself—since Annabel’s abrupt withdrawal from Spirit, and there had been no problems Ellie hadn’t been able to handle. The fallout from Carla’s televised interview with Josh had indeed found favor with the viewing public. Josh’s sincerity had half the females in the state lusting after him, whilst the men admired his determination to make something of himself despite the odds being stacked against him. As a result, the Lodge was booked out for the foreseeable future and enquiries regarding the conference facilities continued to pour in as well.
The guys drifted off to greet early arrivals whilst Ellie’s critical eye continued to take stock of the situation. Everything gleamed, the staff efficiently went about their business, and she could find no fault with any of it. The enlarged black-and-white pictures she’d taken of half-naked Josh and Rex were fixed to the walls behind the auction rostrum, down lighting picking out their ripped abs and absorbed expressions to perfection.
Ellie smothered a grin, reminded of how much Josh detested this aspect of the whole gala. Several times he’d threatened to call it off, and Ellie had to reassure him that it would be the making of the Lodge. Looking at those pictures now, she had no trouble believing her own hype. No woman in her right mind would be able to resist having either or both of them all to herself for one whole day.
That thought caused her more than just a pang of regret. The sad fact of the matter was that she’d fallen in love with them both. How greedy was that? And how unrealistic? Her erotic education had been ongoing ever since that tryst in the hot tub, but no comment had been made about her hanging about in Spirit. They both knew she was due to leave after the gala and neither of them had said a word about it or done anything to try to stop her. Their silence spoke volumes, and she got the message loud and clear.
Her heart was comprehensively broken, but she refused to let it show. Tonight she would ensure that everything went off without a hitch and that the Lodge was assured a good first year. It would be her ultimate gift to the guys. It wouldn’t do her résumé any harm either.
The uneasy feeling she had in her gut had nothing to do with having to leave Josh and Rex. What concerned her was that there hadn’t been any word from Annabel since her falling out with Ellie’s father. Josh thought that was a good thing, but Ellie found it difficult to believe that she’d give up that easily.
“Ellie, this is wonderful!”
Casey’s cheerful voice snapped Ellie out of her reverie, and she gave her friend a brief hug.
“Thanks. I love that dress. You look like a million dollars.”
“Thanks.” Casey grinned. “Would it be tacky to mention my shop to some of these high rollers, do you think?”
Ellie laughed. Casey was as irrepressible as ever. “Well, you have donated a voucher for the store to the auction, so I guess it would be okay.”
Before she knew it, Ellie was surrounded by a whole raft of people, many of whom she didn’t know, and Casey drifted away on the arm of one of her carpenters, looking handsome but a little uncomfortable in his tuxedo. Ellie’s father was there, as promised, receiving the undivided attention of several unattached women. Ellie smiled. Some things never changed. Still, she figured he wouldn’t be allowed to feel the loss of Annabel’s company for long.
She waved to Lana Dupree across the room. She was with the Martin brothers. Jake’s ski patrol would benefit from any money raised at the auction, and the interview Lana had given to Carla about the experience of being rescued hadn’t done anything to harm that cause. Ellie chuckled. She had a feeling there was a fair bit about her experiences at the capable hands of the Martin boys that she wasn’t making public.
“This is quite a bash.”
“Oh, hello, Hannah, I didn’t see you there.”
“Did you see us?”
Wyatt Cahill leaned in from one side of Hannah, grinning at Ellie. His brother, Austin, repeated the process from her opposite side, except he waggled his brows suggestively.
“It’s pretty hard to miss you guys,” Ellie said, rolling her eyes at Hannah. “Shame they’re so shy, isn’t it?”
“You have no idea!”
Ellie thought she probably had, but before she could pursue the conversation, Hannah and the Cahill brothers were swallowed up in the crowd.
The meal went off without a hitch, discounting the fact that she was, at her own volition, seated tables away from Josh and Rex. The two of them were surrounded by the wives of rich and influential men—wives who appeared to have more than a passing interest in the owners of the Lodge. Well, that was what she wanted, wasn’t it? Everything was going to plan, and she already felt like her job was done.
The dessert plates were cleared away and people began to table hop. Ellie made her way to the auction area, where Carla awaited her. She’d agreed to Ellie’s request for a favor and would conduct the auction in Ellie’s place. Ellie figured that someone as high profile as Carla would get more takers. Besides, blithely encouraging other women to bid for Josh and Rex’s services was completely beyond Ellie. Her heart wouldn’t be in it, and it would show. She’d probably growl at the winners, which would put a decided damper on proceedings.
“A good turnout,” Carla said cheerfully. “And they look like they have deep pockets.”
“Just make sure you get them to dig into them,” Ellie said.
“Don’t worry.” Carla winked at Ellie. “This is going out live on my channel, and I don’t do failure in front of the cameras.”
“That’s good to know.”
She noticed Josh in the periphery of her vision, trying to attract her attention. She pretended not to notice. Her face ached from all the smiling she’d done that evening, and she couldn’t keep up the pretense in front of Josh. He’d see through it in a heartbeat, and a girl at least had her dignity, didn’t she?
Carla called all the main players up to the rostrum. Television schedules waited for no man, it seemed, but at least it gave Ellie the opportunity to fade into the background. Her job was done.
The auction of the lesser lots moved along quickly, and Ellie felt a deep sense of achievement as she sat beside her father, watching them being knocked down for far more than she would have thought possible. It seemed good champagne, a worthy cause, and a persuasive television celebrity could loosen the tightest of wallets.
She tried not to look at Josh and Rex, seated behind Carla. Rex seemed to find it all amusing, but, predictably, Josh scowled his way through the entire affair. Far from putting women off, his brooding expression generated excitement, at least amongst the women seated closest to Ellie.
“And now, ladies and gentlemen, we come to the main prize in this charity auction.” Carla paused for just the right amount of time—the same amount of time that it took Ellie’s heart to resume beating at its regular rate. “What a prize it is, too. Stand up please, gentlemen.”
Rex immediately sprang to his feet and waved to the crowd. Josh was much slower in following suit.
“You’ve seen these two local gentlemen in all their finery tonight,” Carla said, playing shamelessly to the camera. “You’ve also seen them in a more interesting state of dress.” She indicated Ellie’s enlarged pictures with a sweeping wave of one hand and was rewarded by feminine whistles and shouts of approval. “Would you like to see them like that again, ladies?” Tumultuous clapping and shouting indicated that they would. “Sorry, I didn’t quite catch that.”
Josh would hate all this, Ellie thought, unable to look his way. Further noise and stamping of feet forced her to do so. Rex had already removed his jacket and tie and was attacking the buttons to his shirt, encouraged by his female admirers. Josh was reluctantly doing the same thing. Prolonged applause ensued when both men were stripped to the waist.
“I make a great continental breakfast,” he said to roars of approval.
“You plan to wake the winning lady up with breakfast in bed?” Carla asked, eyes wide with mock astonishment.
“He can wake me up anytime,” some woman shouted. “And put me to bed for that matter.”
An explosion of laugher greeted this comment. Rex winked at the woman, looking totally relaxed, like he was having fun.
“And you, Josh. What’s your specialty?”
Josh looked as though he was about to run for cover.
“Come on, Josh,” Ellie whispered, holding her father’s hand in a death grip, willing him to play the game. “Think of the Lodge.”
He caught her eye and, as though reading her mind, smiled that slow, sexy smile of his. A collective sigh of appreciation echoed through the room. Ellie figured she was the only one who noticed it didn’t meet his eyes.
“What would you suggest, Carla?”
Carla obviously couldn’t repeat some of the ideas mentioned aloud by the bolder women present, not on prime-time television, and finally the bidding started. People appeared to be bidding on Rex and Josh simultaneously, but Carla kept control, even when one woman bid on them both. Rex flexed his pecs, and his price went up by a thousand bucks.
“Was this your idea?” her father asked Ellie.
“Hmm, what?” She tore her eyes away from Josh. “Yes. Yes it was.”
“It’s inspired.”
“I don’t think Josh shares that opinion.”
“He might not like it, but he knows it’ll put the Lodge on the map.”
“Perhaps.”
Carla was about to close the bidding on Josh at five grand to a wild-eyed woman who looked like she’d eat him alive.
“Are there any more?” Carla asked, raising her gravel dramatically in the air. “Okay, going, once, going twice—”